Koutoujian said scam artists are cold calling people telling them they will be arrested if they don't pay for a variety of reason in a sophisticated and largely untraceable con game.

One Lowell man said his wife first received the call at their home.

"It scared my wife a lot. She called me up. She was upset," said the Lowell resident and EMT. "She was crying."

When the Lowell man called the number the caller claiming to be from Koujoutian's office left, he was stunned by what he heard.

"He actually told me there was a warrant out for my arrest because I failed to show up for jury duty," he said. "He told me I could avoid being arrested if I paid this fine."The fine was more than $800 and the caller said the payment had to be made through a store-bought debit card, sometimes known as GreenDot or MoneyPak.

"These types of cards are cash," said Koutoujian. "You have to treat it like cash. Just like cash, if you let it go or lose it, it's gone and it can never be traced."Massachusetts Jury Commissioner Pam Wood said her office has received dozens of similar complaints. She said anyone failing to show for jury duty would be well aware of their delinquency. Wood said seven to eight notices would have been sent out over a period of months, if not years.

"Very, very rarely will someone be fined," said Wood. "Although it is a criminal offense to ignore your jury service and you can be fined up to $2,000, if that were to happen, you would not be paying it with a GreenDot card to someone who calls you on the phone. It would be handled through the court and you would have to do it in person."

Koutoujian said other callers claiming to represent him also claim potential victims owe an outstanding IRS debt or that the sheriff will arrest them if they don't pay off the balance from an online loan shark.

He said the scammers are so sophisticated, they are spoofing numbers so the Middlesex Sheriff's official telephone number shows up on caller IDs.

"This is how insidious and smart these scammers are," Koutoujian said. "They call dozens, and dozens and dozens of people every day, making these calls, hoping to get that one vulnerable person. If they make one or two successful calls a day, they're making $200,000 a year, tax free.

Wood said these scams are now prevalent in 15 other states, mostly in the west and south. Massachusetts is the first to report them on the East Coast.

HIS MOTHER AND HER BOYFRIEND WERE INDICTED LAST WEEK. ELSA OLIVER WILL BE IN COURT TOMORROW. A NATIONWIDE SCAM HAS SPREAD TO MASSACHUSETTS. SCAM ARTISTS ARE COLD CALLING PEOPLE TELLING THEM THEY WILL BE ARRESTED IF THEY DON'T PAY AND PAY IMMEDIATELY. JANET WU REPORTS TONIGHT IT IS A SOPHISTICATED LARGELY UNTRACEABLE CONGAME. THE MIDDLESEX SHERIFF SAID THE SCAMS COME IN VARIOUS FORMS BUT THEY ALL CLAIM TO REPRESENT HIS OFFICE. A LOWWELL MAN WHO DIDN'T WANT TO APPEAR ON CAMERA SAYS HIS WIFE GOT THE CALL AT HIS HOME. THEY SCARED MY WIFE A LOT. SHE WAS UPSET AND CRYING AND THEN TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A WARRANT OUT FOR MY ARREST BECAUSE I FAILED TO SHOW UP FOR JURY DUTY. SHE TOLD ME THAT I COULD AVOID BEING ARRESTED, YOU KNOW, IF I PAID THIS FINE. THE ALLEGED FINE, OVER $800. BUT HERE IS WHERE THE SCHEME BECOMES UNTRACEABLE. THEY INSIST THE PAYMENT BE MADE THROUGH A STORE BOUGHT DEBIT CARD LIKE THIS ONE. THESE ARE CASH AND YOU HAVE TO TREAT IT LIKE CASH AND JUST LIKE CASH IF YOU LET IT GO OR LOSE IT, IT IS GONE AND CAN NEVER BE TRACE. AND JURY DUTY DELINQUENCY RESULTS IN A SERIES OF NOTICES OVER YEARS. ALTHOUGH IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE TO IGNORE THE JURY SERVICE AND YOU COULD BE FINED UP TO $2,000. YOU WOULD NOT BE PAYING IT WITH A GREEN DOT CARD TO SOMEBODY WHO CALLED YOU ON THE PHONE. IT WOULD BE HANDLED THROUGH THE COURT AND IN PERSON. CALLERS CLAIM THE VICTIMS NOT ONLY FAILED TO SHOW UP FOR JURY DUTY BUT OWE AN OUT STANDING I.R.S. DEBT OR THAT THE SHERIFF WILL ARREST THEM. THEY SPOOF NUMBERS SO THAT IT IS THE MIDDLESEX SHERIFF'S OFFICIAL NUMBER SHOWING UP ON CALLER I.D. THIS IS HOW IN SIDIOUS AND SMART THE SCAMMERS ARE. THEY CALL DOZENS AND DOZENS OF PEOPLE EVERY DAY MAKE THE CALLS, JUST HOPING TO GET THE ONE VULNERABLE PERSON AND IF THEY MAKE ONE OR TWO SUCCESSFUL CALLS A DAY THEY ARE MAKING WELL OVER $200,000 A YEAR TAX FREE. JURY COMMISSIONER PAM WOOD SAID SHE SINCE LEARNED THE SCAMS ARE PREVALENT IN 15 OTHER STATES MOSTLY IN THE WEST AND SOUTH. MASSACHUSETTS IS THE FIRST TO